The road that led toward Evergreen Forest was always quiet, always suspended in that strange hush that belonged only to the mountains. Today, though, it felt heavier—thicker somehow. As Merlin drove, the engine hummed beneath them like a tired heartbeat, and Lucy sat beside him, staring at the blur of trees outside the window with her thoughts tangled tighter than the forest roots.
Her mind kept circling back to the dream.
That man… those eyes… that blood-drawn symbol of the five beasts…
It felt less like a dream and more like a memory she never lived.
Merlin noticed her silence and didn't interrupt. He had learned by now that Lucy never stayed quiet without a storm brewing behind it. He simply drove, letting the winding mountain path carve its way through the thick green walls on both sides.
They were headed to the village—her father's village—where he had spent most of his days serving as a forest officer. A settlement of people who still worshipped Arcicus, the Winged Lion, guardian of fire and sky. Lucy had only been there twice as a child, but even then the place had felt ancient, older than the trees themselves.
Now she was returning, but not as a child.
With questions.
With fear.
With something tugging her deep inside, like the forest itself was calling her name.
THE MOUNTAINS DARKEN EARLY
The climb grew steeper, the turns sharper. What sunlight remained slipped behind the tall cliffs, plunging the road into premature dusk. The headlights switched on automatically, cutting slim, pale tunnels in the mist.
"Strange," Merlin muttered, glancing at the sky. "It's getting dark too fast."
Lucy didn't answer.
She felt it too.
The forest… was watching.
Not just the stillness of nature—something aware.
Something breathing.
THE TRAFFIC JAM
A few kilometers ahead, rows of brake lights glowed like scattered embers. The line of vehicles barely moved.
Merlin exhaled. "Of course."
"What happened?" Lucy asked.
"Probably a landslide or a broken-down truck. These roads are unpredictable."
Minutes stretched into nearly an hour. The mountains around them swallowed the light completely, until the sky became a slate-colored bowl pressing down on the earth. The forest on both sides looked like a giant crouching beast in the dark.
Lucy felt something shift inside her chest—an instinctive flutter, half dread, half recognition.
Then—
CRACK—HISSSSSSS
The right rear tire burst.
The car jerked.
Merlin cursed under his breath and quickly pulled the vehicle to the side of the narrow road.
"Well," he sighed, stepping out, "just perfect."
"I'll help—"
"No," Merlin stopped her gently. "Stay inside. The forest is too quiet."
Too quiet.
Lucy didn't need him to explain. She could hear it too. No crickets. No night birds. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Merlin crouched near the wheel, working quickly.
Lucy remained in the passenger seat, fingers tapping her knee, mind lost in fragments of the previous night—the wolf pack, the blue eyes turning blood red, the symbols painted in his own blood.
Then suddenly…
a shadow moved.
Not a trick of headlights.
Not her imagination.
Something stood just beyond the tree line—tall, human-shaped.
Before she could react, it stepped closer.
THE FOREST WHISPERS
Lucy inhaled sharply.
A man emerged from the darkness—or rather, an old figure, hunched and slow-paced, with torn clothes soaked by early dew. His beard was wild, tangled with leaves, his hair grey and uncombed. But his eyes—those eyes glowed strangely in the gloom, not supernatural, but wide, frantic, as if carrying horror inside.
He shuffled toward her window, pointing one trembling hand at her.
Lucy's breath hitched.
He spoke with a cracked, broken voice:
"The destined one… has finally come."
Lucy froze.
Merlin stood instantly, tools dropping from his hand, and rushed to her side.
"Who's there?" he shouted.
The old man flinched, staring at Merlin with the expression of a cornered animal.
"Stay back!" he cried, but the fear in his voice wasn't for himself. It was as though he was afraid for them.
Merlin moved fast, but not aggressively. "Old man, who are you? What are you doing here?"
The man blinked at him, confused, almost lost inside his own thoughts. But the moment his gaze returned to Lucy… a strange recognition flickered.
"You…"
His lips quivered.
"You arrived at the right time… Save him. He needs you."
Lucy leaned forward. "Save who?"
But the man only repeated,
"Save him. Save him… before moon bleeds."
And then he started laughing—a broken laugh, echoing with sorrow, not madness.
MERLIN RECOGNIZES HIM
Merlin stepped closer, eyes widened. "Wait… I know this man."
Lucy turned. "You do?"
Merlin nodded slowly.
"Name's Crafter. A farmer from your father's village. Disappeared into the Evergreen Forest with his wife about a year ago. People found him wandering days later… but not her. He hasn't been right since."
Lucy's heart squeezed at that.
He must've seen something terrible. Something no human should.
Crafter suddenly looked up at the sky, shivering.
"It's coming… Rain. Heavy rain. The forest cries tonight…"
And as if the clouds had waited for his words—
RAAASHHHHHH
A sheet of rain crashed down on the car, so sudden and violent that both Lucy and Merlin jumped.
"Get inside," Merlin ordered him firmly. "You'll catch your death out here."
Crafter allowed Merlin to guide him into the back seat. He sat curled, still murmuring something under his breath.
Lucy wiped the fogged window, trying to peer into the forest.
Thunder roared.
Lightning split the sky like a glowing wound.
The rain hammered down harder.
Merlin started the car again. "We're getting out of here."
The moment he drove forward, Lucy felt it—
a weight.
A pressure.
Like eyes burning through the rain.
Something was watching them.
THE SHADOW ON THE CLIFF
As the car inched toward the village, the storm intensified. Rain struck the windshield like thousands of needles.
Lightning flashed—
and Lucy's heart dropped.
On the cliff above the road…
a silhouette stood.
Alone.
Motionless.
Watching.
A tall figure, drenched in the downpour, long white hair clinging to his back, glowing faintly under the lightning's reflection.
Lucy's breath left her lungs.
It was him.
The man from her dream.
Another flash of lightning illuminated his face—or what was left of his humanity. His eyes glowed an unnatural, piercing blue, burning through the storm.
He looked down at the car.
Not with anger—
with something far more painful.
Loneliness.
Hatred.
Betrayal carved into bone.
His lips parted, and though Lucy could not hear his voice through the storm, she felt his words resonate inside her as if spoken in her own mind:
"I don't need anyone.
Humans are liars."
A broken cry tore from his throat—a sound filled with centuries of grief and rage.
Lucy felt her body go cold.
Thunder cracked like the earth splitting open.
His eyes darkened.
Blue turning to blood-red.
Hands twisting.
Bones shifting.
Body bending.
And then—
SHRAAWWW—
He transformed.
His body expanded into a massive wolf—thick fur, wet white mane clinging to his body, claws digging into the cliff. The cry he let out next shook the mountains:
A howl of pure pain and fury.
From the depths of the forest, answering howls burst out one by one—
First two.
Then four.
Then dozens.
Until the entire Evergreen Forest echoed with the mournful chorus of wolves mourning a past no one understood.
The white wolf—Volmer, the forest guardian—stood above them, silhouetted against lightning, leading his pack's call.
Lucy gripped the seat, heart pounding.
Something was pulling her toward him.
Something ancient.
Something forgotten.
Merlin tightened his grip on the steering wheel, jaw set.
"This… is going to be a very long night."